TORONTO — Accusations made by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau regarding the possible involvement of the Indian government in the murder of a Sikh activist have not proven far-fetched. This information was also revealed through the sharing of intelligence information with members of Five Eyes. The Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance brings together Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.
“There was intelligence shared between Five Eyes partners that helped Canada (make) the statements made by the prime minister,” U.S. Ambassador David Cohen told the network. CTV News Canada.
CTV News published several comments from Cohen on Friday evening (9/22/2023). The network said it would air Cohen’s full interview on Sunday local time. No further details were released about the intelligence sharing.
On Thursday (9/21/2023), a Canadian official said The Associated Press, allegations of Indian involvement in the killing were based on surveillance of Indian diplomats in Canada. Including intelligence information provided by its main allies. However, the official did not specify who the ally in question was.
Relations between Canada and India have reached their lowest point in recent history. Tension intensified when Trudeau said there were credible allegations of Indian involvement in the murder of Sikh separatist activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar (45) last June in suburban Vancouver.
India has called the allegations absurd. India also stopped issuing visas to Canadian citizens and asked Canada to reduce its diplomatic staff. So far, Canada has provided no public evidence to support Trudeau’s claims.
Nijjar was an Indian-born plumber who became a Canadian citizen in 2007. He had fled India for years before being shot dead in June outside the temple he led in the Vancouver suburb of Surrey.
The United States made clear on Friday (9/22/2023) that it expects the Indian government to cooperate with Canada in efforts to investigate the possible involvement of New Delhi agents in the assassination of a Canadian citizen in June.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said last week that Ottawa had credible intelligence linking Indian agents to the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The statement sparked an angry response from New Delhi, which denied the allegations.
“We are very concerned about the allegations made by Prime Minister Trudeau,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters at a news conference. “It is important that India cooperates with Canada in this investigation. We want those responsible to be held accountable,” Blinken said.
The White House has expressed concern over the allegations, but Blinken is the highest-ranking U.S. official to comment so far.
Canada’s traditional allies, including the United States, appeared to take a cautious approach to this issue from the start. Political analysts say this is partly because the United States and other major players view India as a counterweight to China’s growing influence.
“We have consulted very closely with our Canadian counterparts, not only consulting with them, but also coordinating with them on this issue,” Blinken said.
At a press conference, Trudeau was asked about the allegations and he reiterated his call for the Indian government to cooperate. “We are here to work constructively with India. We hope that they will engage with us so that we can resolve this very serious problem,” Trudeau said.
On Friday, Trudeau also said Canada had raised its concerns with New Delhi some time ago. “Canada shared with India the credible allegations that I spoke about on Monday. We did that several weeks ago,” Trudeau told reporters.
The Canadian government has been gathering human and signals intelligence as part of its months-long investigation into the killing of Sikh separatist leader, Radio-Canada News reported separately on Thursday citing multiple sources.
The report said the intelligence included communications from Indian officials in Canada, adding that some information was provided by unidentified allies of the Five Eyes alliance. Five Eyes is an intelligence information sharing network spanning the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
However, Trudeau did not provide details about what Canadian spy agencies collected, and his office has neither confirmed nor denied the information. Radio-Canada. Senior Canadian government sources said Trudeau would not speak publicly without having a high level of confidence in the intelligence.
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